His Grace +Bishop ALEXEI Recovers 1796 Holy Gospel of Saint Innokenty for Saint Michael’s Cathedral

December 8, 2023

On his recent arch-pastoral visit to Saint Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral, His Grace, +Bishop Alexei, returned to the Sitka Cathedral a large, silver Holy Gospel, which according to the inscription was published in the year 1796 from the Nativity in the flesh of God the Word and in the year 7,305 from the creation of the world. The initial inscription reads: “To the Glory of the Holy Consubstantial, Life-Creating, and Undivided Trinity--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--at the command of our Great Lord Paul I Petrovich, Autocrat and Emperor of All Russia….”

This historical Gospel was in use at the time of Saint Innokenty, but at some point within the last sixty years was removed from the Cathedral. On September 24^th, 2023 at the 50^th anniversary celebration of Saint Herman’s Church in Glenn Mills, Pennsylvania, our Vladika travelled to the East Coast with the express purpose of recovering the Gospel, whose return from museum exhibition status was kindly orchestrated by the Rev. Archpriest John Perich, a long-time friend of the Diocese of Sitka and Alaska.

On November 19^th, 2023 at the annual banquet celebrating the patronal feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, His Grace unveiled the Holy Gospel and returned it to the faithful, reading from its introductory page the details about its publication and noting the high quality of the antique paper. His Grace, then, invited the faithful to come and venerate this precious holy treasure. The faithful then came forward joyfully singing “O Lord save Thy people/Spasee Gospodi, lyoudi tvoyah,” venerating with tears in their eyes this treasure from their beloved Saint.

For the high holy day of the feast of Saint Michael, the Gospel was once again used at the Divine Liturgy for the opening exclamation, “Blessed is the Kingdom.” Father Deacon Thomas Rivas related that although he has had back pain even handling much lighter Gospels, this Gospel of Saint Innokenty suddenly felt light in his hands when used for the little Entrance, causing him no pain whatsoever. Truly, through the prayers of Saint Innokenty, “His yoke is easy and his burden is light.” At the time for the reading the Holy Gospel, Father Deacon read the Holy Gospel in English and Vladika Alexei read it in Old Church Slavonic from the very Gospel and the very prescribed passage that Saint Innokenty would have once used on the very day of the feast. The Gospel now resides again permanently in its former home, the Cathedral of Saint Michael to the joy of the parishioners and faithful of the Diocese of Sitka and Alaska. As one parishioner put it, “It's a new day. His Grace bringing back Saint Innokenty’s Holy Gospel is the first significant item to return to Saint Michael’s…So much has been taken from us here, it brings me a lot of joy to see something come back.”